


Snow

by br1te



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Couch Cuddles, Fluff, Library, M/M, Mentioned Akaashi Keiji, Mentioned Bokuto Koutarou, Mentioned Kageyama Tobio, Snow, Studying, blanket sharing, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-12 16:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9080569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/br1te/pseuds/br1te
Summary: Kenma learned early on that being friends with Kuroo meant being coerced into things he wouldn't normally do. This time he's found himself sitting in his favourite corner of the library attempting to teach an energetic first year how to study.





	1. Studying and Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 26/11/17: I edited the first chapter!!! What? It's got much better flow now, I think!

It was exam week, the final stretch before winter break. The tension in the hallways of the university was palpable. Kenma had already seen two people crying over their textbooks and he hadn't even made it past the foyer. He had written the last of his exams the day before and was on his way to try to help his best friend study.

Avoiding his peers as much as possible, he made his way to his usual spot in the library. It was a secluded corner next to a big wall of windows. Hard to spot from inside the library, but bright and warm and safe, with two big arm chairs and a little table. It was ideal for studying and for hiding, which made it perfect for him.

His corner was empty when he arrived so he settled himself into his chair with a small sigh of relief. He enjoyed the stillness for a moment before glancing around the room and checking the time. Satisfied, he pulled out his 3DS and set out to collect at least ten new Pokémon before Kuroo showed up.

Kenma had just captured his sixth Pokémon when he heard his friend's telltale whistling. He was surprised when, instead of a tall man with wild dark hair, a short red head bounced around corner. Actually bounced. The guy had a messy mop of hair on his head, it looked like he had never even heard of a comb or a brush nonetheless used one. He gave Kenma a weird sort of look, halfway between wary and excited, before he turned back the way he had come. That’s when Kenma realised that the whistling hadn’t stopped. He cursed his friend under his breath and glared at the wall through his hair. Kuroo rounded the corner with a grin on his face, he at least had the decency to look apologetic when their eyes met. He ruffled the short guy’s hair before guiding him to sit in the armchair across from Kenma.

“This is Hinata. He’s on the volleyball team with me.” Kuroo said patting the red head on the back. “He’s taking the same History course you took last year. He looked like he was going to have a meltdown in practice this morning. When I asked him what was wrong he started on about failing all of his courses, and then getting kicked out of school, and disowned, and forced to live homeless on the streets collecting change from fountains.”

Kenma grimaced, this kid seemed like he would be overwhelming to talk to for longer than a minute. Kenma hated dealing with energetic people, especially dramatic ones. He’d had enough of that from Kuroo and his other friend Bokuto.

“Anyway, I figured since you aced that course you could give the poor kid a hand with his revision. At least see if he’s actually hopeless or not.” Kuroo said with a shrug at Kenma’s look of disdain. “It’s not like you have anything else to do.”

Hinata looked between Kuroo and Kenma nervously, trying to gauge the situation. Kenma gave his friend one last pointed glare before he turned to assess the newcomer. Kuroo seemed to take this as a win because he laughed and patted Hinata on the back one last time. He then sent Kenma a farewell salute before sauntering off the way he had come.

“I can leave if you want, if you’re busy. Or I can just-” Hinata started to say, stumbling over his words, “It’s not- I can- I’ll-” 

Kenma sighed and straightened himself in his armchair. Kuroo wouldn’t have brought this kid if he thought that the kid, Hinata, would be only an annoyance. Determined to get through the ordeal as fast as possible, Kenma pulled his laptop from his bag and began to search for his notes. Hinata seemed to get the picture and began digging through his bag, tossing textbooks and notebooks and pencils onto the table between them.

“How bad are you at History?” Kenma asked, getting right to the point.

“Um. I’m fine with assignments and participation, I’m just terrible at taking tests. I get really nervous and clam up and then I can’t remember anything.”

“Do you study for tests at all? Your stuff doesn’t look very organized.”

Hinata blushed bright red and looked down at his papers. There were pages torn out of his notebook. Random scribbles on everything and, sometimes, single words written in the margins beside complex silly doodles.

“I try, but it never sticks. I mean, I look through my notes and read the textbook, but I don’t know what I’m doing.” Hinata flipped through his books as he talked, like he couldn’t bear to hold eye contact with Kenma.

“Well let’s start by organizing your notes. If you can find the information you’re looking for you can study much easier.” 

“Okay, Kenma.” Hinata smiled wide before faltering. “Kuroo said that you prefer it when people call you Kenma. I can call you Kenma, right? You can call me Shouyou, if you want. It’s very nice of you to help me. I really appreciate it!”

“Yeah, Kenma is fine. It’s no big deal, like Kuroo said, I wasn’t really doing anything anyway.” Kenma turned his attention back to his notes. He had been trying to find his study guide from the exam the previous year as an example for Shouyou to work from. He found the document in question, turned the computer towards the bubbly kid in front of him, and set out trying to explain how to organize notes.

~ 

When Kuroo popped back in a couple of hours later he was surprised to find the two still sitting in Kenma’s corner. Even more surprised to find actual progress had been made. Shouyou was sitting with a nearly completed study guide of his own in front of him. He had a stack of index cards, in Kenma’s tidy scrunched writing, in his hand and Kenma’s laptop facing him. Kenma was curled up, with his jacket as a blanket, in his armchair playing his 3DS. Every now and then Shouyou would ask a question and Kenma would answer without looking up from his game. Kuroo smiled to himself, he had been right that Kenma would help his little volleyball protege. He was happy to see that Kenma seemed so relaxed. It usually took him ages to warm up to new people, but the two seemed content in each other’s company. Proud of himself and of his friends Kuroo decided to surprise them with dinner. He whistled to himself as he left the library, phone in hand. 

Kenma looked up from his game, searching for the source of the whistling. He saw no evidence of his friend but noticed the finished study guide on the table. He closed his 3DS and picked up the study guide. Shouyou had done a good job organizing his notes and Kenma smiled to himself. He didn’t like to teach other people very often, but this kid was eager and determined and easy to get along with. Kenma handed the papers back to Shouyou who smiled. He smiled with his whole face, eyes crinkling at the corners. The kind of smile that made Kenma's stomach flutter.

“Thank you so much for helping me!” Shouyou said, pulling Kenma's attention away from his stomach.

“It’s fine. I’m glad that it was useful.”

“Definitely! I’ve never felt so confident about a test before.”

Kenma hummed, reaching to pick up the stack of index cards, looking for any kind of distraction, when Kuroo popped around the corner. He had two large pizza boxes in one hand and sly grin on his face.

“Surprise!” Kuroo said as Shouyou’s eyes widened at the sight of the pizzas. “I brought you a little something as a treat for all your hard work. I’ve got Kenma’s favourite, good old pepperoni, and a barbecue chicken one, that Bokuto recommended.”

Kuroo set the boxes down on the table once the two had cleared off anything important. He was opening up the boxes when he heard a weird pained sort of noise. When he looked up he saw Shouyou with his forehead pressed up against the window. He was staring out at the snow that had accumulated while they were studying.

“What’s wrong Shouyou?” Kenma asked, looking startled and a little worried.

“I have to ride my bike home! I didn’t think it would snow today! I can’t ride in this. There aren't any buses to my house. I can’t even call for a ride because my parents are out of town this week,” Shouyou whined.

“You could stay with Kenma, he lives near campus.” Kuroo said, picking up a piece of barbecue pizza. Kenma shot him a glare before looking back at Shouyou, whose face had lit up at the suggestion.

“Really? You do? Would it be too much trouble? I’m really small, I promise I don’t take up any space. You won’t even notice I’m there. Please Kenma.”

There was no way for Kenma to deny Shouyou when he was sending Kenma the biggest puppy eyes he had ever seen. Kenma knew how to deal with crafty people like Kuroo, he even knew how to deal with obnoxious people like Bokuto. Kenma had no idea how to deal with cute, innocent, warm-hearted people like Shouyou. So he picked up a piece of pepperoni pizza and nodded. He was going to make Kuroo pay for this, somehow, he just wasn’t sure how yet.

Kuroo smiled at the two in front of him. Shouyou had a huge dopey smile on his face and Kenma was eating his pizza, curled up in his armchair in his favourite corner of the library, pink all the way to his ears. Kuroo knew he was going to pay for this, but he thought that, maybe, it was worth nudging them along.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's definitely not the most well written thing, but I'm trying this new thing where I actually finish stuff. It's novel that's for sure.
> 
> I've done an edit now, it's still not stellar but it's practice!
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


	2. Tea and Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma and Shouyou settle in for a night of video games.
> 
> 26/11/17: Edited!

Shouyou was practically vibrating as Kenma fiddled with the lock on his door. They had left the library when it was obvious Shouyou had studied himself out. To be fair he had kept still, diligently studying his notes, while they finished up the pizza. He had even managed to work all the way through the index cards twice before he started playing with Kuroo’s volleyball. When Kenma’s books ended up on the floor after a wonky bounce they decided it was time to finish up. As they packed their bags Kuroo mentioned that he had never seen his small teammate sit still for so long. Kenma was glad that they didn't get banned from the library.

He glared down the hall in the direction that Kuroo had left. He would get his friend back for suggesting that Shouyou stay over at his place, he never had people over. He hadn’t properly cleaned in weeks. What if it was messier than he thought? Would Shouyou care? Would it be weird if he left him outside while he tried to clean up a bit? Why did he care what this stranger thought? A voice interrupted his train of thought.

“I’ve only ever been to my friend Kageyama’s, since I came here. He keeps it freakishly clean. Like every single thing has a place, and there is no dust, and he never leaves anything out. I never know what to do with myself. I’m afraid that I’ll mess up everything up. My room is always messy. I should probably be tidier, but I just like the chaos, I guess. It’s not dirty. I clean it. It’s just. Lived in, you know? So what if there’s clothes on the floor. I live here. I’m not a robot!” 

Kenma tried not to look surprised as Shouyou spoke. It was like the kid had read his mind. He felt more relaxed about sharing his space knowing he wouldn’t be judged for the slight chaos.

“My place is pretty well lived in too. It’s clean, it’s just messy.” Kenma said as he pushed open the door, still feeling embarrassed, though not nearly as much as before. He could see Shouyou bouncing as he peered into the room. “Welcome.” 

“Oh WOW!” Shouyou smiled his big crinkly smile at Kenma, “It’s so cool! You’re so cool Kenma!”

Kenma's stomach fluttered and he turned to hide his blush as he locked the door behind them. 

“It’s nothing special. You can put your stuff over by the couch if you want.” 

The flat was a small studio space. On the left of the entrance was the kitchen and the living area and on the right was the bathroom. In the far corner of the room, across from the living area, was a loft style bed with a study nook underneath.

There were a few artsy looking video game posters on the walls in the living area. A little couch smothered with blankets, arranged into some semblance of a nest. Cases from various games littered the floor between the TV stand and the coffee table. Kenma felt self-conscious as Shouyou put his stuff down beside the couch and began to look around.

“Kenma this is the coolest! Kageyama has to share his place with other people but yours is like a whole house in one room! Uwah! Look at your bed! I want a bed like that!” Shouyou babbled on as Kenma shrugged off his backpack and began to put away his study materials. Despite his excitement, Shouyou didn’t actually touch anything. He scurried around the flat looking at everything and anything, making excited noises when he saw something extra cool.

Feeling mostly okay with the situation Kenma decided he should at least try to be a good host. He wandered into the kitchen and filled up his kettle.

“Do you want some tea or anything?” He asked, startling Shouyou who was leaning over looking at the shelf of games on the TV stand.

“Oh tea would be nice. What kind of tea do you have?”

“Um. Green. And this cherry blossom one that my mom gave me, I guess.”

“Oooooh. I’d like to try that one, please. The cherry blossom.”

Kenma set out making the tea after shooing Shouyou away when he offered to help. He learned from his mother not to let guests help, especially not on their first visit. If it was Kuroo it would have been a different story, but his manners still worked for new people. Kenma put together a tray with his tea set, a housewarming gift from Akaashi, and a plate of cookies. 

Kenma set the tray down on a clear spot of the coffee table before he cleared his nest of blankets off of the couch. Shouyou took a seat on the couch and immediately helped himself to a cookie.

“You like games a lot don’t you?” Shouyou asked as he took a bite of his cookie.

“They’re alright.”

“You have so many! I love games, but I’m really bad at them. No matter how hard I try I can’t get better. It’s like I’m destined to fail, or get lost, or be killed. I like the stories though, they are so cool. If only I had the skill.” He punctuated his words with little flourishes of his arms, emphasising everything.

“I just keep playing until I win. Eventually, I figure out a strategy that works. It’s like a puzzle, I guess.” Kenma shrugged and picked up his teacup, giving himself something else to focus on. Something other than the sparkle in Shouyou's eyes.

“Can I watch you play something? Maybe I can learn how to be good at games if I watch you.”

Kenma nodded and went to set up a game. 

“Do you care what it is?” he asked as he gathered up the cases from the floor and pushed them back onto the shelf.

“They all look cool!”

Kenma picked out a game and popped it into his console. Shouyou  gathered up the blankets and wrapped himself up excitedly. Kenma sat down and pulled some over himself as well as he settled into his gaming position. 

They stayed sitting like that for several hours. Until Kenma felt the weight of Shouyou press against him. His eyelids were drooping and his head bobbing as he fought to stay awake. Kenma paused the game and pushed his new friend over the other way before getting up. Shouyou made a noise of protest at the sudden movement but allowed himself to be repositioned. 

Kenma dug through his drawers for an extra set of clean pyjamas to lend to the sleepy ginger on the couch. Finding the set he was looking for he returned to couch and nudged Shouyou gently.

“I have some pjs for you.” He said softly. Shouyou mumbled at him and rubbed his eyes, but didn’t make a move to take the clothes. “You should get changed.”

Shouyou opened his eyes and smiled a lazy tired smile up at Kenma before he reached his hand out of the cocoon of blankets to take the offered pjs. Kenma felt his cheeks flush and he turned to gather up the tray from earlier.

“Can I have a shower?” Shouyou asked as he tried to wiggled out of the blankets. Kenma nodded and pointed across the kitchen to the bathroom. 

“There should be clean towels in the cupboard.”

Kenma heard a slow shuffle of feet and then the latch of the bathroom door as it closed before he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He decided to take advantage of the empty room to change into his own pyjamas. He tried not to think about how comfortable he was with his new friend. He didn’t even share his blankets with Kuroo and they had been friends forever. Here he was letting an energetic stranger fall asleep leaning against him. He pulled on a well worn hoodie and focused on putting away the dishes he had left by the sink.

He heard the shower turn off as he put away the last of the dishes. He hurried to make up a bed on the couch for Shouyou. He even put one of the extra pillows from his bed on the couch to make it as comfortable as possible. It really was for the best that Shouyou was so small, Kuroo definitely wouldn’t have fit comfortably on that couch. 

“Oh wow, thank you, Kenma.”

He hadn’t even heard the bathroom door open, but sure enough there was Shouyou, the rocketship pyjamas even mostly fit him, though the pants looked a bit long. Kenma found himself blushing again. He’d never seen someone else wearing his clothes before. It felt oddly intimate. Shouyou didn’t seem to notice though, and he smiled up at Kenma before he crawled into the makeshift bed.

“It’s no problem. Good night.” Kenma said as he moved to turn the lights off and check the lock on the door. A string of fairy lights along the railing of his bed lit up the room a little. They were a gift from Kuroo, who was sure that Kenma would kill himself trying to climb in or out of bed in the dark.

Shouyou hummed in awe at the lights before he snuggled up under the blankets. Kenma shook his head and climbed up into bed, his stomach fluttering. He was worried about his reaction to Shouyou, he'd never experienced anything like this before. What did it mean?He shook his head and took a deep breath. He could talk to Kuroo about this in the morning. He didn’t need to start jumping to conclusions. He opened his 3DS and set out to catch some Pokémon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a second chapter! I never really got as far as I wanted with the last chapter, and a couple of people told me that they wanted some more so I figured why not!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! <3


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